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Time continues to march by with the beats of an endless drummer. Our dry season seemed to stop so abruptly, clouds rolled in, and the rains came. But it was only February! Usually the dust continues and cool air hovers over the city of Jos. Is this the global warming that all newscasters talk about so frequently? The heat of the day stays long and the nights don’t really get cool. How can we possibly go for a brisk walk in this heat? Maybe Jos is going to be more like the low lands. We know that about now some of you are wishing for a little warmth, so why don’t you come for a visit?
 More Teams. By the time you receive this letter, there will have been five more teams who have come to participate in the activities of City Ministries since our last prayer letter. Two teams started their 2 1/2-week stay by joining us at our SIM conference in early January. (John and I co-chaired the conference committee.) Our speaker was Rev. Henry Stewart from Barnabas International from Waukesha, WI. He and his wife, Diane, brought a team of ‘pirates’ to take the kids (grades 1-5) on a journey with the apostle Paul. The kids had a great time, even though a few of the ‘pirates’ looked a bit weary by the end of the four days. Seven members of the team brought encouragement to the missionaries who attended an Elim Retreat in Miango, one week after the conference. The second team from Illinois hit the ground running to keep ahead of the 6-12th graders.
Several of their team members were doctors or nurses, ready to do surgical procedures and medical examinations at Evangel Hospital and two additional medical outreaches off the plateau. We won’t forget the donuts made by one of our career missionaries, with the help from her sister. These delicious donuts are becoming an annual event to encourage our missionaries to attend the business meeting that always takes place during conference. Team 3 was a sports outreach group, here to strategize towards upcoming ministry. Team 4 came to do some medical outreaches, to work on needed building projects, to minister to several Nigerian churches through their worship team, and to visit the existing City Ministries’ facilities. Hours were spent with former street kids living at Transition House and the Gyero compound and with EMS missionary kids residing at our children’s hostel in Jos. New sponsors for these children have come from each of these teams. The teams have been energetic and a real encouragement to us and to the needy kids. Team 5 arrived in early March to participate in the VVF reunion at Evangel Hospital and to help with the bucket program for needy Nigerian women. Daily Work with John and Me as a Team. The daily pressure to crank out hundreds of emails and many biographies of the kids needing to be sponsored takes a lot of prayer and persistence. Some days we need a kick-start, but meeting with the management team (Nigerian and expatriate) each Monday and a once-a-week ministry evening meal together keeps us moving. We also meet regularly with our team leader and his wife, who are tremendous encouragers. A ladies’ Bible study on Wednesday keeps me focused. I have also been very encouraged to see how Ruth, our house help, is growing in her walk with the Lord. She often asks that I pray with her about temptations that she wants to overcome. She comes each week to study the book of John and is improving her English as well.  A trip to the village of Gyero, where nearly sixty of our former street kids presently live, added new insight to our work. We were amazed by the progress of the tomato and cabbage farm and were reminded of past memories of the Pabst Farms in Oconomowoc (nearby to Milwaukee, WI). The ministries’ chickens, recently moved to Gyero, are producing 70 eggs each day after being moved from an area in town. Our report on Gyero was really encouraging to our Nigerian manager as he sensed our excitement in the work taking place. (However, some cases of Avion Flu have now been found in Nigeria, leaving some unanswered questions.)
Interviewing a young boy at Transition House, in order to get his story correct, also added a new dimension to our understanding of the kids. Most, if not all, of the seventy-one boys at TH profess to have accepted Christ as their Savior after leaving some really traumatic family backgrounds. I am reminded of a Bible verse from Romans, “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” Romans 4:7. This promise, that comes only because of Jesus, gives real hope to these boys who come from sinful pasts. Seeing the love for the boys offered by the main house parent, Alex, was very encouraging. He has a real personal interest in every boy there. Living at Transition House is so much greater than living on the street, but the conditions are far from how we would want to live. Additional funds from sponsors have begun to raise the standards in each City Ministries’ facility. Our time at the EMS Children’s Hostel kept us hopping and HOT as we spent nearly two hours in the sun playing games with lots of excited and energetic EMS kids one recent Saturday. We also had an opportunity to get down on our knees in order to build a Lego house and read a story while in the playroom. It was only for a moment that our hands were free since these special little ones really enjoy holding hands. Some were a little more aggressive than others! Singing, laughter, a bite of rice and a mineral (soda/pop), and even some prayer requests were a part of our day. These children come from Nigerian missionary families who live in ‘bush’ areas with very little. It is a privilege to attend a school with good materials and teachers who are qualified. Praise the Lord for many of you who have joined the team by sponsoring a child! Please pray with us for the Nigerian children. Hardship has brought greed and corruption to this country. Pray that the children will learn how to live upright lives in the midst of this corruption. Pray for the Nigerian City Ministries’ staff as neighbors, friends, and family members often urge them as well to follow traditional beliefs. Please pray for other sights outside of Jos where City Ministries is developing more facilities for street kids. The change for many of the children is not an easy one, yet we see God at work in so many of their lives. We want to say thank you to all of you for your many prayers and for the many gifts that you have given us over the years. We are taking part in the lives of these special kids only because you have given us the opportunity to be here. Thank you again for your faithfulness! Please drop us a line or email us at
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We would love to hear how you are doing! Until next time... In His love, Nancy for the Sawyers
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